Bruins team may be even better this year

BOSTON –– They have their Stanley Cup rings and Thursday night at the TD Garden they will raise their banner.

By MARK DIVVER | | Assistant Sports Editor

BOSTON -- They have their Stanley Cup rings and Thursday nightat the TD Garden they will raise their banner.

For the Boston Bruins -- not to mention their loyal fans --these are the best of times.

But, as the Bruins set out to defend their first championship in39 years, would it be too much to expect them to have an evenbetter team this season?

After all, they are talented, deep and battle-tested after lastspring's remarkable title run. They have the best goalie in thegame in Tim Thomas, and one of the best defensemen in Zdeno Chara.They have some terrific young players with big upside.

So, it says here, the answer is that the Bruins could indeed bea better team.

That's not to say they won't ultimately fall short of a secondstraight Cup -- no team has repeated since the Detroit Red Wings in1998.

Of course, a lot of things could go wrong. Injuries could changethe equation, not to mention the reemergence of teams such asWashington and Pittsburgh that fell by the wayside last spring.

But it's possible that this year's Bruins will be better.

Here are five reasons why:

• Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask.

Realistically, looking for Thomas to improve on last year'sotherworldly performance just isn't fair. The man is 37 years old.He's going to win the Vezina Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and theStanley Cup for a second consecutive year?

No.

But that doesn't mean that the Bruins goaltending -- as a duo --can't be better.

That's where Rask comes in. The Bruins goalie of the futurewould be a starter on a lot of teams. He didn't have a bad seasonlast year, but he's capable of improvement.

At just 24, Rask should have his best years ahead of him.Assuming that he improves his game this season, it should more thanmake up for any slip by Thomas.

• Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

No one's better than Pittsburgh's center-ice duo of SidneyCrosby (when healthy) and Evgeny Malkin, but Bergeron and Krejciare a terrific one-two combination.

And both are just hitting their prime.

It's easy to overlook the fact that Bergeron, who has been withBoston since 2003, is still just 26 years old.

While he is not an elite scorer -- and probably never will be --he is a peerless two-way player, and a leader.

Krejci, 25, looks poised to emerge as a legitimate No. 1 centerafter a tremendous run in the playoffs - 12 goals and 11 assistsfor 23 points in 25 games.

Krejci makes his wingers better, and he proved last spring howproductive he can be if he shoots more.

• Leadership.

The Bruins have a strong locker room. If they didn't, they couldnever have bounced back from the epic meltdown against the Flyersin 2010.

While fatigue might be an issue this season -- the Bruins played107 games last season and Thomas played 82 of them - leaders suchas Chara, Bergeron and Shawn Thornton should be able to help theplayers keep their eyes on the prize.

• A better power play.

Let's review the playoff numbers:

0-for-21 against Montreal.

2-for-16 against Philadelphia.

3-for-24 against Tampa.

5-for-27 against Vancouver.

Total: 10-for-88.

Take Tomas Kaberle out of the mix, add Joe Corvo.

Corvo has a big shot, and he's not afraid to use it. In thepreseason, Boston was 6-for-27, a success rate of 22.2 percent.

These players could be part of the Bruins' core into theforeseeable future.

Sure, Horton had some dry spells last season, but you get thefeeling that he has only scratched the surface of hispotential.

Lucic bagged 30 goals last season, and Marchand turned in aplayoff performance for the ages. Both have plenty of room togrow.

Seguin has the look of a superstar in the making.

Whether he plays center or wing, Seguin could develop into agame-breaker. He should be better this season, and if he comes onas fast as, say, Tampa's Steven Stamkos did, Seguin could give theBruins the kind of dynamic, electrifying player they haven't had inages.